Envelop.



No. 5|,|o4. Patented 1 e 5 w. H. L. cuRRAN. un "ma ENVELUP.

Apuminn fiied Nov. 13. 1899.) (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM Irl. L. CORRAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

g ENvELoP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,104, dated June 5, 1900. Application filed November 13, 1899. Serial No. 736,848. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. L. CORRAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Envelops, of which the following is a specification.

In opening letters with a pointed instrument, such as a knife or paper-cutter, it is the universal practice to insert theimplernent into the open space at the unsealed part of the envelop and then separate the envelop along the upper edge. In this Way the address side of the envelop is concealed, and mistakes are constantly made in opening letters addressed to parties other than the opener. Such mistakes are frequently unimportant, but in many cases necessarily lead to annoyance and trouble, and it is evident that where a letter is opened intentionally and fraudulently by an unauthorized party such action can be easily covered by the simple statement that the letter was opened by mistake.

The object of 'my invention is to construct the envelop insuch a Way that it can be conveniently opened with a knife, paper-cutter, or other pointed implement while the address side is uppermost.

Speaking generally, my in vention comprises an envelop having one or more slits or elongated perforations extending through the thickness of paper which forms its address side, such perforations being arranged in any suitable way at or near the edges or corners. The purpose of these perforations is-to catch the point of the paper-cutter and so make it easy to continue cutting paper without inj uring the contents of the envelop.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated an envelop showing the application of my invention in several different ways.

Figure l is a plan view of an envelop having curved perforations arranged in rows at the corners and showing the manner of applying the opening implement. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing dierent shapes of perforations. Fig. 3 is a section on the line c 0c of Fig. l.

The envelop A may be of any style, construction, material, and size. One thickness of this envelop, which is the side on which the address is to be written, is provided with slits or perforations B, which extend entirely through said thickness. I prefer to arrange these perforations along one or more corners, as shown in Fig. l, the object of having them in rows being only to insure the catching of the point of a suitable implement in one or another of them; butit is evident thatasingle perforation in one or more corners can accomplish the same result. These perforations can be of any shape; but it is always best to make them in the form of elongated slits, which may be curved, angular, or straight, as shown in the drawings. The slits are so small relatively to the size of the envelop that even when arranged in rows containing several of them they are inconspicuous and prod uoe no particular change in the appearance of the envelop. These perforations or slits will be made by any suitable tools or machinery in the paper of which the envelop is to be composed before the latter is folded.

I do not limit myself to any particular size, shape, number, position, or arrangement of these slits, as I desire to avail myself of all proper equivalents for the slits herein described, and shown in the drawings.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An envelop having one or more slits extending through its front or address side only and entirely Within the perimeter of such side, for the described purpose.

2. An envelop having slits or perforations extending through its front or address side only, such slits being arranged in one or more rows near one or more edges.

3. An envelop having near one of its corners, a row of slits extending through the paper which forms the front of said envelop and Within the perimeter of said front.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses,this 4th day of November, 1899.

WILLIAM II. L. CORRAN. 

